The president regretted “a lot of confusion” and “recovery” around this demonstration, scheduled for Sunday.
Emmanuel Macron said he would be “by the heart and by the mind” to the march against anti-Semitism planned for Sunday, in remarks made on the sidelines of the commemorations of the 105th anniversary of the armistice of 1918, Saturday November 11. “My role is rather to build the unity of the country and to be firm on values”of “make decisions, say words when they need to be said and act, otherwise I can demonstrate every week”, declared the president. The latter notably laid a wreath at the foot of the statue of Georges Clemenceau, defender of the Jewish captain Alfred Dreyfus and “father of victory” of the First World War.
“On anti-Semitism, it’s very simple, we will concede nothing and nothing justifies it”he underlined, defending an approach “universalist” in the face of anti-Semitism, seeing “a lot of confusion” on the march organized on Sunday by the presidents of the two houses of Parliament, and “also a lot of recovery”. He was referring to the absence of La France insoumise at this gathering, where the National Rally will be present, which caused embarrassment on the left and in the majority.
“We will not concede anything on anti-Semitism”
Emmanuel Macron then chaired the ceremony commemorating the 105th anniversary of the armistice of 1918, marked this year by the centenary of the flame rekindled every day since 1923 under the Arc de Triomphe in memory of the fighters who fell for France. In front of the tomb of the unknown soldier, the head of state greeted “the unknown” who is “from all walks of life”of “all professions” and of “all beliefs, believer and Freemason, agnostic and free-thinker, Protestant and Muslim, Catholic and Jew”.
“The unknown is this Resistance, this certain idea of France that we cherish. And by falling for it, he raised it and bequeathed it to us with a duty of unity, of surpassing oneself and of bravery”, he added. To celebrate this centenary, a sound and light show on the Arc de Triomphe will be organized on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., in the presence of hundreds of flag bearers.